50. Ravitch Personal Strengths & Weaknesses Ravitch’s article reminded me that teaching to a diversified group of students has been an educators’ issue years. It is so easy to think that today’s teachers are the only ones who are fighting battles. Also, I believe it is important for teachers to remember this fact when complaining or becoming frustrated with an ESL or foreign students. What if the teachers of the past had easily given up on all the immigrant students? How would receiving a low equality education or none at all affect our nation?
With regards to weaknesses, I believe mine is being unknowledgeable about other cultures. Besides knowing about the African American community, I would have to say that I don’t know much about many other cultures. I can remember some things I have learned though my education, but, I have no clue when it comes to diverse family politics and specific culture value.
However, one of my strengths is ‘willingness.’ When I recognize that I can improve my teaching strategies or attitude, I will take full advantage of the opportunity to change for the better. I am a very determined person; and, if I noticed that I was teaching a community that I was unfamiliar with, I would make certain that I found someone to educate me about the culture. I know investing my time to learn about the community culture will help me better reach my students and tailor my curriculum and instruction techniques to suit students’ needs and interests. --K.McCollum
50: A Considered Opinon: Diversity, Tradgedy, and the Schools
American:
Learn it, be it, do it.
Oh!, and if you have any preexisting morals that align with American ideals, those you should keep.
E pluribus unum – from the many comes one. I respect this national motto and honor its message. Despite the pessimistic sarcasm spawned from the content of this article, I do believe that E pluribus unum is a motto that can be a base for education if the word unum can be defined operationally for America. “One” cannot mean prototype but it must mean a mosaic representation of everyone. The “one” can be anyone that everyone can relate to because there is an underlying common nationality.
As a teacher I will always strive to learn the cultures in the schools in which I teach and celebrate those cultures in the creation of our classroom community.
-ashley
50
Strengths
At my placement, I have had a lot of work with students who are either immigrants themselves or are second/third generation Americans. Most of the students come from the Latin American region. In my lessons, I have learned to incorporate elements of their culture into the lessons. We celebrate their rich culture versus ignoring it. In the future, I know I will continue to think about this placement and be able to reach students of all cultures within my lesson.
Weaknesses
That being said, at my school, it is rather easy to work in one culture. They are just as homogenous as any almost all-white school you’d come across. The struggle I will have is how to reach all students when you have some from all over the globe? I will have to take a different approach than what I am doing right now.
-Derek Boillat
50.
This article raises the question on what schools should do about the diverse backgrounds of their students. As I was reading, I couldn't help but question what are we, as teachers, suppose to do when our student population is less diverse? The article says for us to teach our students about their own backgrounds but what if the class is made up of all middle class suburban students? I believe it is important for schools to educate the student population about other cultures.
Strengths: I want to know about other cultures. I believe it is important as an educator to be well versed in other cultures not only to relate to my students but to have the knowledge base to educate my students on other cultures.
Weakness: I am from one of those suburban middle class towns. My current knowledge on other cultures is minimal.
-Katie Reilly
Weakness: I grew up in a town that was made up of about 90% white, middle to upper-middle class people. I don’t really know anything about other cultures. The middle school I assist at is also very homogenous, although most of the school is below middle class. I think I would struggle if I was placed in a more diverse school setting simply because I haven’t been exposed to many different cultures in the past.
Strength: I am very eager to learn about different ethnic background and to celebrate those differences in class. Perhaps one of my classes could have a sort of cultural festival in which each student could create a display that gave information about their background. I am quite fascinated by different cultures and will certainly make an effort to become more knowledgeable, not just for my students but for myself.
- Kristy McPherson
50.
I honestly wish I had more American pride but I would be lying if I said I did. Sure I greatly value the freedoms we have in our country but I do not openly celebrate being American because there are many many things wrong with our country, especially with our government. While I think American history is important for every student to learn, I do not believe that every person in America has a common destiny as Americans as the article says they do and I do not believe we should honor that “reality”. Some may consider it a weakness of mine but I value the opinions, values, and cultures of other countries maybe more so than my own country. Especially in regards to language, I highly value linguistic diversity. I have witnessed so many English teachers preaching to their students the important of Standard American English but I think this philosophy leaves a larger majority of students lagging in the dust, and not just minority students.
-Kelsey 50.
Assistant Secretary Ravitch has long been one of my favorite authors in the field of education. This essay, which I had not read before, was a beautiful and poetic call to action regarding what our education must do to be the democratic institution and lifeblood of the republic that it was intended to be. I have always viewed public education as the way informed citizens are created and inspired. The primary goal of a public school in a democratic society is to create an informed citizen who has the knowledge required to vote appropriately. This I think about daily as I plan my lessons, it is the long term goal that I keep in my mind. I think that I struggle with awareness towards diversity and ensuring that various American voices are heard in my current setting. I think the biggest hurdle is the makeup of my current classroom. Ravitch is right that we no longer see classrooms of mixed heritage, our schools (in some areas at least) remain everything but segregated.
-Aaron Noordhoek
51: Diversity within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society In reference to the first article, my weakness is that I lack knowledge about other cultures; and, one of the things the authors suggest is to create multiple culturally sensitive techniques to assess students’ cognitive and social skills. First, I would have to acquire a basic understanding about the culture(s) that I am teaching. Then, I could always ask staff members from the same culture, or those that have studied the culture, about what assessment methods are more beneficial for the students. I want to make sure that when I am testing students I am actually measuring what they have learned instead of getting tainted feedback because they were confused, bored or lost by the assessment method. Additionally, with regards to Principle 11 which states all schools should be funded equitably, I realized that I know very little about school finances. I believe that I need to make sure that I take every opportunity during my student teaching to examine the school’s spending and how teachers can give input into allocation of funds. Furthermore, I could benefit from learning more about grant writing so I could be an asset to my school, students and community.
A strength of mine that could be helpful when dealing with multi-cultural students is my ability to communicate. I am not afraid to over talk with students and I find that having one-on-one conversations are tremendously helpful to student learning. I know that I may not know the language, but I would hope that my student’s, as well as their families, could see my attempt at trying to maintain contact to work out solutions or keep them updated. This strength may be advantageous for a school that was adopting a conflict resolution program because my communication skills would allow me to facilitate disagreements between cultures. --K.McCollum
51: Diversity within Unity This article’s multitude of authors advocate for teachers getting to know the different cultures represented in their schools. Education themselves on the culture of the district is said to increase learning opportunities. This article also states that the lesson content greatly influences student achievement. If the lesson content includes information that students can relate to on a deeply personal level, then they will learn more solely bases on that investment. As a teacher I strive to incorporate the different backgrounds of my students, but I always relate content to real life, and, often, popular culture. Connecting with the students in this manner creates an environment where learning is made accessible.
The point mentioned in the article about teaching and learning about the different perspectives from which stories are and can be told. Teaching Beowulf I would want students to examine the perspective of Grendel as a monster verses Grendel as an outcast. As a teacher in my current school, I need to work more on my ability to play basketball because it would be a way to bridge the gap between home life and school life.
When the authors asserted that teaching about stereotyping is important I agreed with them. I also think that as a psychology minor I have the extra ability to teach about how stereotyping is a function of the brain and how that innate predisposition factors into views on stereotyping.
As a teacher, I do think that it is important for students to know how to socially interact with each other in a responsible manner. I most often teach this through modeling and minute direct instruction. Learning about responsible talk and conflict resolution would be useful to me as a teacher and would increase my scope of teaching.
Shared decision making is a core principle of systems thinking of which I am an advocate. My systems thinking training should help and has helped me to go to the students and understand what their thoughts and feelings are in relation to classroom management and curriculum direction.
Like the authors, I do believe that schools should be funded equitably, but I do not believe it is the fault of the schools that they are not. However, as an educator, I do need training in grant writing.
-ashley
51
Strengths
One of the principles I really connected with that I feel is a strength of mine is pushing extracurricular activities. Not only does the research show the benefits of partaking in these academics, sports, clubs, they also give students a sense of school pride, a chance for parent involvement in the school, and also a chance for teachers to show interest in the students’ lives. I have had a lot of success attending as many student extracurricular activities as possible. In the future, I plan on coaching soccer at the school I’m placed at.
Weaknesses
Under the assessment section, the thing that I think I am unfamiliar with is the different forms of assessments for different cultures. I assume that by teaching to multiple intelligences and throwing in differentiated instruction that I will cover those assessments, but I need to become aware of what these cultural assessments are. The only real work I have had with is that on standardized English tests, I can help students with exact translations but cannot give them help other than that.
-Derek Boillat
51.
This article emphasizes how teachers and students need to know how to interact in a positive way with each other.
Strengthes: As a teacher, I enjoy attending the extracurricular activities of the school. In my current placement about half of my students are in the band or choir and I plan on attending both concerts. In my high school, I had a teacher that attended most of the events from sports games to the school's musical. It was slightly embarrassing but overall a proud moment when the teacher would comment on last night's game or musical.
Weakness: I need to become educated in other cultures that I will be interacting with in my school. I've learned a lot in my current placement but my education has holes that need to be filled for me to be an effective teacher in a lower income school.
-Katie Reilly
Weakness: I have a lot to learn about cultural assessment. I took an assessment course here atGrandValley, but never was the idea that different methods would need to be used to help students from other cultures. What a major oversight! I feel very unprepared to enter a diverse classroom given that I have no experience with this. I would also like to learn more about grant writing. At my school’s last PD day, they discussed a grant that they want to try to extend, and I felt very ignorant during the conversation. I’d like to work on that during my student teaching.
Strength: I am very eager to be involved in extracurricular activities in my schools. When I eventually get a teaching job, I’d like to develop or be involved in a Book Club with the students and attend many of the music-based activities. I’d also like to develop a Japanese club regardless of whether or not the school offers Japanese as a language class.
- Kristy McPherson
51.
I would have liked to develop an after school program for sixth grade students. The sixth graders at Riverside Middle only have the option to play one or two sports. They don’t have any other extracurricular activities available to them. If I worked at the school for more than a few months I would implement as many clubs as possible. For example: art club, math club, step club, music club, writing club, reading club, comic strip club etc. Each club would be held one day a week each week. I saw a similar program being implemented in a Philadelphia Public School. The teachers volunteered one or two hours of their time once a week and acted as a mentor to students that joined their club. I believe a club like this would bring many different types of students together and help create diversity within unity.
I value student diversity. I try my best to make sure students understand that their culture is very important to who they are and where they will go. I try to help my students realize that stereotypes do not define who they are. I encourage students to write about their individual experiences whenever we have free writes. I have also had conversations with fellow teachers about respecting students from different backgrounds.
-Kelsey
51.
I remember learning in my assessment class strategies to ensure cultural sensitivity and social mobility sensitivity on assessments, but I think that I often forget to include doing this when creating them. I think that I could use more practice with this and that only when I force myself to be consistent will it become habitual enough that I no longer have to be conscience about it. I wonder what it says about me that I do have to force myself to be conscience about it?
-Aaron Noordhoek 52. Glenn Glenn claims that education will always be “value-saturated” when discussing his theory for school choice policies. I couldn’t help think back to our class discussion about character education and it seemed as though Glenn isn’t too thrilled with the idea that schools can be established based on values. I thought that my belief in my values was a strength I had as a teacher. I think it is important to have manners, respect others and be caring; and, I thought as least, that this trait was something to be valued. My thinking was that if parents were unable or simply didn’t care to teach their children basic morals that are respected across all faiths and cultures, such as politeness, then I would be able to aid that student’s life by introducing them to these concepts. I think that saying “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re welcome,” to students is only modeling respectful behavior. I think it is important to talk about issues of bullying, the by stander affect and ‘doing the right thing.’ My strong-will has always protected myself and others, and sometimes it has got me in trouble. I guess my strong-willed spirit can be asset and a fault.
On the other hand, my strong will and stubbornness about values most likely will cause numerous issues with parents. I will have to re-learn the importance of closing my mouth about situations that bother me, but are not worth the fight. I will have to re-learn the importance of recognizing that the parent is the authoritative figure for the child and what they say ultimately goes. I will have to find ways to deal with my strong headedness and realize that not every problem will be solved. It is hard for me to walk away from something that is upsetting me, but I will need to recognize when situations out of my control.
--K.McCollum
52: The Challenge of Diversity and Choice I understand the idea of having a school that matches every belief of everyone; however, I believe it is at school where students can be among and interact with a myriad of students all holding multiple beliefs. When I was in the Netherlands I got the chance to experience an incredibly diverse school that celebrated differences and combined into a single functioning school community. To make this system work choice was incorporated into nearly every school situation. As a teacher, I encourage students to make choices and to help me make choices in almost everything. I need to do more research before I come to a definitive conclusion on choice schools although I do believe that people should be able to choose whatever school they want to attend. Although I hold this belief I also think that a school centered community has irreplaceable benefits.
-ashley
52 Strengths and Weaknesses My weakness here is the inability to understand how school of choice will further lead to racial and social class segregation as so stated on page 323. I am thinking of GRPS for my example. Currently area (along with academic performance) decide where students will attend high school. My students on the South West side will likely go to Union, a predominately Hispanic school with loads of educational and moral deficiencies. Thus, they move from poor school to poor school. However, if these students were to grow up on the east side with more affluent parents, they would go to East Grand Rapids. So how would allowing students to choose EGR over Union hurt? Other than the fact that the low performing schools will lose students. But shouldn’t they? The bill to me says No Child Left Behind, not no school left behind. If a school is failing, why pump money into it? Let those students go to the high performing schools. Thus I suppose my strength here is holding people accountable, especially schools. -Derek Boillat
52. I suppose both my strength and weakness with this subject would be my belief in teaching students quality values. I know it is strictly opinion on what is valued and what should not be taught in school but without the education some students would never know the common values in society. Students need to know what society values. They do not have to agree with the hierarchy of values in their society but they need the knowledge of how the general public views certain beliefs and behaviors. This knowledge could be used to blend in with society or change society for the better.
I feel one of my weaknesses for this article is the same as the previous, lack of knowledge on the subject. I need a course on different subcultures within the United States or a book with descriptions at least to start my knowledge base. As teachers, it should be required for us to learn about the different cultures our students are living in outside of school.
-Katie Reilly
52.
I don’t really feel that I have a strength or weakness in regards to school choice but I agree with Ashley on this one. I definitely believe that schools with a diverse population of students can add to the academic rigor. Simply put, if society is a melting pot so to say then schools should be as well. Students from different backgrounds can learn so much from one another but schools must be willing to work with students to help them achieve that.
-Kelsey
Strength: I am a big proponent of teaching morals and manners in schools, and the reasoning can be illustrated in the example conversation below:
Student: “I need a pencil.”
Miss McPherson: “Then are you going to ask nicely for one?”
Student: “Can I have a pencil?”
Miss McPherson: “Please?”
Student: “Please?”
Miss McPherson: “Yes, you may.”
Student: “Thanks!”
Miss McPherson: “You’re welcome.”
I have never had a student actually ask nicely for a pencil without being prompted, and getting them to say please on their own is almost like pulling teeth. Clearly these simple manners are not being taught at home, so if they aren’t taught in school, how will the students learn?
Weakness: I suppose that my prompting the students to say “please” and “thank you” could be seen as meddlesome, which would certainly be a weakness. I also am a little confused on the idea that the school of choice program might lead to racial segregation. While it may be more difficult for parents to transport their children to a school that is further away every morning, wouldn’t it be worth it if the quality of education drastically improved? Assuming that the authors meant that the majority of diverse groups are economically poor, I feel that were I to be in the situation of having to decide between having my child suffer from lack of funds and unqualified teachers, I would most likely do whatever I could to get my child out of that situation.
(Note: I am aware that not all teachers at lower-income schools are unqualified. Sorry if that offended anyone.)
- Kristy McPherson
52.
I hope that I meet the challenges that come before me and when the time comes that I dare to adhere to my calling rather than give into the powers that seek to hinder. It takes communities coming together and agreeing that the purpose of education is to shape the child as a whole. I think that today’s reform movement has become so “money-saturated” that there is little left that actually has what is best for students at heart. Teachers serve on the front lines, they are the last line of defense between students and the bureaucratic and corporate powers that seek to manipulate them. The second that the reform movement caught the eyes of those seeking profit, the movement was DOA when it comes to MEANINGFUL change. I hope that I have the courage as a teacher to fight back by whatever political and social means that I can, for the sake of my students.
-Aaron Noordhoek
53. Kauffman, McGee and Brigham
While reading the article I was able to quickly identify that I lack patience with special education students. I think part of blame falls on the special education teacher who does a poor job of communicating with teachers about students’ needs and accommodations. She often informs teachers of significant events that will impact learning after they have already had them in class. She is constantly working in ‘crisis’ mode and never does any preventative with these students. Furthermore, the qualifications for special education are too fuzzy for me. I don’t think that a student with Asperger’s should be getting the same accommodations as a student with ADHD, which is what happens at my school. Thus, when students who are defined as special education and receive an extra hour a day to get more help and complete homework come to class without anything, it is very hard for me not to be angered. I realize that the situation is somewhat out of my control and I just need to learn to stay calm and remain level-headed.
However, when I am aware of students’ disabilities or needs, I constantly address them when I am teaching. If I know a student is ADHD, I try to check in with them more throughout the class period to keep them on task. If I know a student is visual learner, I will try to incorporate visual elements into my instruction; and, if there wasn’t any visual component I attempt to meet up with them during independent work time to make sure they understood. When I administer my tests, I make sure to read the directions aloud for those who are auditory learners and I always encourage students to ask questions if they don’t understand because I can explain it in another way. I think being conscientious a strength of mine when it comes to student accommodations.
--K.McCollum
53: Enabling or Disabling? Observations on changes in special education James M. Kauffman, Kathleen McGee, and Michele Brigham wrote, “The goal [of special education] seems to have become the appearance of normalization without the expectation of competence” (328). I rarely agree with an article as much as I agree with this one. Often in schools the appearance of inclusion and normalization takes the forefront. I believe that students should not be removed from class when they can handle the rigor of the class with minor accommodations. Some students with special needs will not get equitable treatment outside of the special education room because the resources and expertise needed are absent from the mainstream classrooms. Schools should not be a place students go to fail but, accommodations need to not be made so much so that they alter curriculum. Passing a student through without having them fulfill the class requirements (or accommodated class requirements) sets them up for failure in their future lives. Students with special needs need to be encouraged to be “responsible and independent and to set realistic expectations for themselves” (333). All students need to be expected to do all that they can; easier is not always better. The only minute point I disagree with in this article is that vocabulary on tests cannot be explained. I believe that if the vocabulary is not necessary to understanding the content or the goal of the assessment, then explaining it on a test does not hinder the student but can only help them. As a teacher I want to push students to be their best and to be part of planning for themselves and their educational paths.
-ashley
53
Strengths
I have had a lot of work with a few students who are in a special education pull out program. I have been used as an interventionist of sorts in that I have worked with these students individually getting them caught up and making sure they understand what we expect from them and assist them to get there. I have learned and practiced not setting the bar low for these students and I will take the knowledge with me as a teacher going forward.
Weaknesses
The issue I have is that I don’t get to see a high functioning special education program. The Special Ed teacher at SWCC is one of the most confused, off kilter, disorganized professional that I have ever met. She constantly does not what is going on and wants to switch around what the students have to do in the class (setting the bar almost to the floor). My CT has candidly told me that the teachers call it, “The blind leading the blind” which is disappointing because they joke about her inability to help, but I feel horrible that these students are getting the help they need.
-Derek Boillat
53.
Strengths: One of the greatest strengths I have on the subject of special education is exposure. I have helped with my cousin, who is down syndrome, since I very little. Having her in my family, I have volunteered in her classroom, Special Olympics and her birthday parties. She is a constant reminder that students with special needs can excel in the classroom with enough support. I have acquired the patience and understanding needed to help special education students in my classroom.
Weakness: Without a strong support system with the special education teacher, I know I do not have the knowledge to modify assignments for every special education student I will have in my future classrooms.
-Katie Reilly
53.
This semester I have had quite an experience with special education students included in my mainstream classroom. I had no idea how to help them or make accommodations for them. Although there is a special education teacher in the room she mostly ran errands for my CT, made copies and kept behavioral problems in check. When I asked how I could make accommodations for students, I was told they couldn’t be helped. While I don’t think students should be excluded from homework assignments or given unnecessary time for assignments they will never complete, I certainly believe that they need help in some capacity. I feel that it is a strength of mine to reach out to every type of learner not by giving them freebees or unnecessary accommodations but by actually teaching them how to help themselves.
I am positive that it will be a weakness of mine to fail students. I want every student to succeed and know it will be hard to enter a grade in the computer that will keep a student back. I know the importance of giving passing grades to deserving work but some students try and try and cannot submit work that is adequate for their grade level. Although I would love to pass them for their effort, if they cannot complete an assignment successfully or write legibly by sixth grade shouldn’t they fail? How will they succeed in other grades?
-Kelsey
Strength: In my LANGUAGE! class, we have at least one student who attends Special Education. That class is based on leniency and accommodations, so having that experience has helped me a little in that respect.
Weakness: I have never really had much experience working with Special Needs students, and despite my LANGUAGE! class, I still feel overwhelmed when working with our Special Education students. Matt, for example, lacks the ability to create situations in his head, which makes it nearly impossible for him to summarize a reading or create sentences using vocab words without a great deal of help. I walk him through something step-by-step and he is still lost. I feel helpless when I work with him because no matter how many different ways I explain something, he still doesn’t understand.
- Kristy McPherson
53.
I think that Special Education knowledge and skills are becoming increasingly important for content area teachers. I feel that I am very aware and respond well to students needs within the classroom, but I also feel like I have a lack of training when it comes to Special Education. I hope to get a masters degree in the field of special education so that I will be better prepared to help ALL students that enter through my classroom door.
-Aaron Noordhoek
54. Villa and Thousand Villa and Thousand discuss effective strategies for submersing special education students with the rest of the school population, also known as inclusion. I feel that my weakness is creating group activities that will actually work with the inclusion of the special education students in the class. Mainly, this is because the special education students I have in class are not very pleasant with the other students. They constantly fight and pick at each other; and, unlike their peers, the special ed students will NOT stop continuing an argument when asked politely. Thus, I struggle constructing social educational opportunities that will benefit all parties. The usual result is a breakdown of the group; but, since I love group discussion and collaboration, I have noticed how hard it is for me to find ways to include the special ed students in a productive manner.
I would have to say in terms of inclusion my strength would be perseverance. Although I know it will be a battle, I still use group work. I still expect all students to get along and productively work and learn. I still attempt to come up with ways to incorporate these specific students into the social situations and achieve positive results. My CT isn’t very supportive because she has given up on the idea of inclusion and finds it completely ineffective and unrealistic. Therefore, at times it can be difficult, but I know, for the sake of the students and the class environment, the outcome is worth the effort. --K.McCollum
54: Making Inclusive Education Work Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand are also authors with whom I can agree. These authors advocate for educating parents and teachers on one understanding of inclusion so that everyone can work from the same page. Further, a strength I have and am working on improving is teaching with research based educational practices. I also agree with Villa and Thousand that Para pros should not just be velcroed to specific students but should be utilized to assist with the classroom education. As a teacher now, and I am sure in the future, I use Para pros and other aids to the full extent of their immense ability. Utilizing people resources in this manner is the best practice for students. I need to work on learning how to parallel teach. I think this method of teaching would require a clearly defined concept that is being taught. The point about differentiating how curriculum is taught is a pertinent point. That way conetent is not being altered, but the individual needs of students are being taken into account.
-ashley
54
Strengths
Aaron and I currently working on a mini-lesson focused on the pros and cons of inclusion in the classroom. We have found a lot of interesting facts thus far and while working with a group member who was in special education at her high school we have received many insights into this topic. I feel that I am learning a lot within this project to make me a strong advocator for inclusion.
Weaknesses
I guess learning the difference of all the different approaches to special education. I know inclusion, and I have a grasp of exclusion, but I struggle defining what is at my school placement. We have the students in the class for roughly half the day, half the days of the week. On the other days, they are in the class the whole time. What’s really sad is that they normally are pulled out during the students’ “special” such as PE or Art. Now these students don’t get a chance to interact with the others in a variety of settings. So I need to familiarize myself with all approaches.
-Derek Boillat
54.
Strengths: As noted with the previous article, I have experience interacting with students that have special needs. Though most of my interactions have been in social settings, I believe that one of the most important parts of interacting with students, as a whole special education included, is to not speak down to the students. I have seen so many people think they are acting right by talking to special needs individuals like they are little children instead of their age. It has the same effect as when a teacher believes a student will be a trouble student. Students play the roles given to them and as teachers it is important for us not to give students negative roles in the classroom.
Weakness: I believe one of my weaknesses with inclusion education is not knowing how to implement it in my classroom. With this being the way education is going, it may be time for all teachers be certified to teach special education. One or even two special education teachers to one school is not enough to keep classrooms working to the best of their ability for special education.
-Katie Reilly
54.
I think it is a strength of mine to utilize every resource available to me. In my current classroom there is a major flaw with inclusion; the special education teacher does nothing to help students except “babysit” them. And yes, both teachers in the room tell students they shouldn’t need babysitters. If it were my own classroom, I would like to work on actually team teaching, not simply using the extra teacher or parapro in the room for an extra set of eyes.
Unlike Kylie, I think a weakness of mine is perseverance. I try my best to work with students until the understand but sometimes when I try to help a student with special needs I am not sure what to do when it seems I have tried everything and they still aren’t getting the concept. I wish I had taken a class on special education. If mainstream teachers today are having special education students in their classrooms, they need more professional development to be prepared to reach out to the differing needs of every student.
-Kelsey
Weakness: I will admit that I am prejudiced a little against inclusion by an inclusion class I had in high school that went horrible wrong. The class wasU.S.government, and the number of concessions made for the Special Education students was ridiculous. We spent three days learning how to write a three paragraph essay. As an Honor English student, I felt as though the time spent on this task was excessive and was constantly annoyed by how little the class challenged me. I understand how helpful inclusion can be to Special Education students, but I feel that what happened in my class should not happen ever. That is not inclusion, it’s making a three day concession at the cost of the rest of the class. I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I don’t want my students to feel that they aren’t being challenged or educated to the fullest extent. I would be completely for inclusion in my classroom if there was an aid present or if the students had time outside of class to learn about things the other students already grasp.
Strength: Because of my high school experience, I know how not to run an inclusion class. I have seen it in action and can say with certainty that if I ever had an inclusion class, it would be much more effective for all of my students than the one I attended.
- Kristy McPherson
55. Gurian and Stevens Gurian and Stevens elaborate on the gender differences associated with learning. I realized that my weakness with regards to gender is most likely bias. I have noticed that I do expect and treat some boys and girls differently in my classes. In fact, the other day while teaching I noticed that I was being gender bias and I thought back to an article that I had read in my introduction to linguistic course. While learning grammar, a boy student kept shouting out the answers. Normally, this student would never talk. He despises English and can be found most days talking with the girls in the class instead of doing work. However, for some reason, grammar became incredibly interesting to him. I have speculated that this phenomenon was due to the fact it was ‘easy’ and he knew bits and pieces because a majority was review. Nevertheless, the student kept blurting out answers instead of raising his hand and I gave him reminder after reminder. Then I realized that if it was a female student, I wouldn’t have given her so many reminders. I would have given her a hallway plan if she continued the behavior. At that moment I realized I needed to pay more attention to my unconscious biases.
My strength in this is case is that I recognized my behavior and that I want it to change. After the event, I hosted a class discussion about appropriate and respectful behavior when sharing or participating in discussion. I have talked one-on-one with the boy student about his participation and other male students who seem to shout instead of letting other classmates have a chance to think about the questions. I have also tried to be more aware of how I deal with ‘chattiness’ issues in regards to gender. I am trying to make sure that I am fair when addressing issues of discipline. --K.McCollum
55: With Boys and Girls in Mind
As a psychology minor I have studied some about how boys and girls learn differently and I respect the strategies presented in this article. I do think that I would teach in ways tailored toward ways in which both boys and girls learn but not tell the students and allow them to choose the different ways that they would like to participate in learning. That way the groups would be more fluid and allow for individual variations.
-ashley
55
Strengths
Having a minor in Psychology just like apparently Ashley :) , most of the material covered in this article in nothing new. My only worry is that if we focus too much on these differences, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Because though we may make accommodations here, we would also need to understand how a Hispanic brain functions differently than Asian brains and so on. But I think that understanding these differences and having a solid background in the Physiological Psychology of the brain will prove useful for me in the future.
Weaknesses
My issue is not letting people use this knowledge of brain differences as a “crutch”. Often, I have heard “well, girls are better at multitasking so this is easier for them.” I need to learn correct responses and activities so that no group thinks that I am discriminating against them. The goal is for everyone to succeed and not putting students in situations that give them the highest chance of doing well is simply failing them.
-Derek Boillat
55.
Strengths:I am aware of my bias. I know that I sometimes judge how well a student is going to stay on task based on gender and other attitudes I have seen them perform in my classroom. With this knowledge, I try to curve my actions so that my teaching does not reflect my initial bias between students.
Weaknesses: One personal critique is that I know I am bias when it comes to gender. I have been trying to eliminate this in my teaching as much as possible as I continue in teacher assisting. For example, I am more prone to let a group of girls read out in the hall then a group of boys. This has slightly been the reaction of having a inconvenient experience with boys getting out of hand in the hall but I am bias when trying to keep groups on task in my classroom.
-Katie Reilly
55.
I am a psychology minor as are Ashley and Derek. While my psychology minor teaches me that boys and girls brains develop very differently, I do not teach girls one way and boys another. I do not believe different sexes can be lumped into educational categories just because their brains may develop in similar ways. I try to treat every single student as a unique individual instead of classifying him or her into one of two learning camps, male vs. female.
-Kelsey
Weakness: I am not a psychology minor. I took PSY 101 and Child Development and that’s about it. I want to become more knowledgeable as to how boys learn differently than girls, but I also want to learn how to not make it apparent that I’m using different techniques based on gender. I’d like to come up with a way to implement multiple methods to reach all of the students regardless of gender.
Strength: I’m very eager to learn about child psychology. If fact, I’m considering getting my masters degree in Child Psychology and Counseling, so I don’t feel as though I lack the motivation to learn more about the different learning methods.
Strengths and Weaknesses
50. Ravitch
Personal Strengths & Weaknesses
Ravitch’s article reminded me that teaching to a diversified group of students has been an educators’ issue years. It is so easy to think that today’s teachers are the only ones who are fighting battles. Also, I believe it is important for teachers to remember this fact when complaining or becoming frustrated with an ESL or foreign students. What if the teachers of the past had easily given up on all the immigrant students? How would receiving a low equality education or none at all affect our nation?
With regards to weaknesses, I believe mine is being unknowledgeable about other cultures. Besides knowing about the African American community, I would have to say that I don’t know much about many other cultures. I can remember some things I have learned though my education, but, I have no clue when it comes to diverse family politics and specific culture value.
However, one of my strengths is ‘willingness.’ When I recognize that I can improve my teaching strategies or attitude, I will take full advantage of the opportunity to change for the better. I am a very determined person; and, if I noticed that I was teaching a community that I was unfamiliar with, I would make certain that I found someone to educate me about the culture. I know investing my time to learn about the community culture will help me better reach my students and tailor my curriculum and instruction techniques to suit students’ needs and interests.
--K.McCollum
50: A Considered Opinon: Diversity, Tradgedy, and the Schools
American:
Learn it, be it, do it.
Oh!, and if you have any preexisting morals that align with American ideals, those you should keep.
E pluribus unum – from the many comes one. I respect this national motto and honor its message. Despite the pessimistic sarcasm spawned from the content of this article, I do believe that E pluribus unum is a motto that can be a base for education if the word unum can be defined operationally for America. “One” cannot mean prototype but it must mean a mosaic representation of everyone. The “one” can be anyone that everyone can relate to because there is an underlying common nationality.
As a teacher I will always strive to learn the cultures in the schools in which I teach and celebrate those cultures in the creation of our classroom community.
-ashley
50
Strengths
At my placement, I have had a lot of work with students who are either immigrants themselves or are second/third generation Americans. Most of the students come from the Latin American region. In my lessons, I have learned to incorporate elements of their culture into the lessons. We celebrate their rich culture versus ignoring it. In the future, I know I will continue to think about this placement and be able to reach students of all cultures within my lesson.
Weaknesses
That being said, at my school, it is rather easy to work in one culture. They are just as homogenous as any almost all-white school you’d come across. The struggle I will have is how to reach all students when you have some from all over the globe? I will have to take a different approach than what I am doing right now.
-Derek Boillat
50.
This article raises the question on what schools should do about the diverse backgrounds of their students. As I was reading, I couldn't help but question what are we, as teachers, suppose to do when our student population is less diverse? The article says for us to teach our students about their own backgrounds but what if the class is made up of all middle class suburban students? I believe it is important for schools to educate the student population about other cultures.
Strengths: I want to know about other cultures. I believe it is important as an educator to be well versed in other cultures not only to relate to my students but to have the knowledge base to educate my students on other cultures.
Weakness: I am from one of those suburban middle class towns. My current knowledge on other cultures is minimal.
-Katie Reilly
Weakness: I grew up in a town that was made up of about 90% white, middle to upper-middle class people. I don’t really know anything about other cultures. The middle school I assist at is also very homogenous, although most of the school is below middle class. I think I would struggle if I was placed in a more diverse school setting simply because I haven’t been exposed to many different cultures in the past.
Strength: I am very eager to learn about different ethnic background and to celebrate those differences in class. Perhaps one of my classes could have a sort of cultural festival in which each student could create a display that gave information about their background. I am quite fascinated by different cultures and will certainly make an effort to become more knowledgeable, not just for my students but for myself.
- Kristy McPherson
50.
I honestly wish I had more American pride but I would be lying if I said I did. Sure I greatly value the freedoms we have in our country but I do not openly celebrate being American because there are many many things wrong with our country, especially with our government. While I think American history is important for every student to learn, I do not believe that every person in America has a common destiny as Americans as the article says they do and I do not believe we should honor that “reality”. Some may consider it a weakness of mine but I value the opinions, values, and cultures of other countries maybe more so than my own country. Especially in regards to language, I highly value linguistic diversity. I have witnessed so many English teachers preaching to their students the important of Standard American English but I think this philosophy leaves a larger majority of students lagging in the dust, and not just minority students.
-Kelsey
50.
Assistant Secretary Ravitch has long been one of my favorite authors in the field of education. This essay, which I had not read before, was a beautiful and poetic call to action regarding what our education must do to be the democratic institution and lifeblood of the republic that it was intended to be. I have always viewed public education as the way informed citizens are created and inspired. The primary goal of a public school in a democratic society is to create an informed citizen who has the knowledge required to vote appropriately. This I think about daily as I plan my lessons, it is the long term goal that I keep in my mind. I think that I struggle with awareness towards diversity and ensuring that various American voices are heard in my current setting. I think the biggest hurdle is the makeup of my current classroom. Ravitch is right that we no longer see classrooms of mixed heritage, our schools (in some areas at least) remain everything but segregated.
-Aaron Noordhoek
51: Diversity within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society
In reference to the first article, my weakness is that I lack knowledge about other cultures; and, one of the things the authors suggest is to create multiple culturally sensitive techniques to assess students’ cognitive and social skills. First, I would have to acquire a basic understanding about the culture(s) that I am teaching. Then, I could always ask staff members from the same culture, or those that have studied the culture, about what assessment methods are more beneficial for the students. I want to make sure that when I am testing students I am actually measuring what they have learned instead of getting tainted feedback because they were confused, bored or lost by the assessment method.
Additionally, with regards to Principle 11 which states all schools should be funded equitably, I realized that I know very little about school finances. I believe that I need to make sure that I take every opportunity during my student teaching to examine the school’s spending and how teachers can give input into allocation of funds. Furthermore, I could benefit from learning more about grant writing so I could be an asset to my school, students and community.
A strength of mine that could be helpful when dealing with multi-cultural students is my ability to communicate. I am not afraid to over talk with students and I find that having one-on-one conversations are tremendously helpful to student learning. I know that I may not know the language, but I would hope that my student’s, as well as their families, could see my attempt at trying to maintain contact to work out solutions or keep them updated. This strength may be advantageous for a school that was adopting a conflict resolution program because my communication skills would allow me to facilitate disagreements between cultures.
--K.McCollum
51: Diversity within Unity
This article’s multitude of authors advocate for teachers getting to know the different cultures represented in their schools. Education themselves on the culture of the district is said to increase learning opportunities. This article also states that the lesson content greatly influences student achievement. If the lesson content includes information that students can relate to on a deeply personal level, then they will learn more solely bases on that investment. As a teacher I strive to incorporate the different backgrounds of my students, but I always relate content to real life, and, often, popular culture. Connecting with the students in this manner creates an environment where learning is made accessible.
The point mentioned in the article about teaching and learning about the different perspectives from which stories are and can be told. Teaching Beowulf I would want students to examine the perspective of Grendel as a monster verses Grendel as an outcast.
As a teacher in my current school, I need to work more on my ability to play basketball because it would be a way to bridge the gap between home life and school life.
When the authors asserted that teaching about stereotyping is important I agreed with them. I also think that as a psychology minor I have the extra ability to teach about how stereotyping is a function of the brain and how that innate predisposition factors into views on stereotyping.
As a teacher, I do think that it is important for students to know how to socially interact with each other in a responsible manner. I most often teach this through modeling and minute direct instruction. Learning about responsible talk and conflict resolution would be useful to me as a teacher and would increase my scope of teaching.
Shared decision making is a core principle of systems thinking of which I am an advocate. My systems thinking training should help and has helped me to go to the students and understand what their thoughts and feelings are in relation to classroom management and curriculum direction.
Like the authors, I do believe that schools should be funded equitably, but I do not believe it is the fault of the schools that they are not. However, as an educator, I do need training in grant writing.
-ashley
51
Strengths
One of the principles I really connected with that I feel is a strength of mine is pushing extracurricular activities. Not only does the research show the benefits of partaking in these academics, sports, clubs, they also give students a sense of school pride, a chance for parent involvement in the school, and also a chance for teachers to show interest in the students’ lives. I have had a lot of success attending as many student extracurricular activities as possible. In the future, I plan on coaching soccer at the school I’m placed at.
Weaknesses
Under the assessment section, the thing that I think I am unfamiliar with is the different forms of assessments for different cultures. I assume that by teaching to multiple intelligences and throwing in differentiated instruction that I will cover those assessments, but I need to become aware of what these cultural assessments are. The only real work I have had with is that on standardized English tests, I can help students with exact translations but cannot give them help other than that.
-Derek Boillat
51.
This article emphasizes how teachers and students need to know how to interact in a positive way with each other.
Strengthes: As a teacher, I enjoy attending the extracurricular activities of the school. In my current placement about half of my students are in the band or choir and I plan on attending both concerts. In my high school, I had a teacher that attended most of the events from sports games to the school's musical. It was slightly embarrassing but overall a proud moment when the teacher would comment on last night's game or musical.
Weakness: I need to become educated in other cultures that I will be interacting with in my school. I've learned a lot in my current placement but my education has holes that need to be filled for me to be an effective teacher in a lower income school.
-Katie Reilly
Weakness: I have a lot to learn about cultural assessment. I took an assessment course here atGrandValley, but never was the idea that different methods would need to be used to help students from other cultures. What a major oversight! I feel very unprepared to enter a diverse classroom given that I have no experience with this. I would also like to learn more about grant writing. At my school’s last PD day, they discussed a grant that they want to try to extend, and I felt very ignorant during the conversation. I’d like to work on that during my student teaching.
Strength: I am very eager to be involved in extracurricular activities in my schools. When I eventually get a teaching job, I’d like to develop or be involved in a Book Club with the students and attend many of the music-based activities. I’d also like to develop a Japanese club regardless of whether or not the school offers Japanese as a language class.
- Kristy McPherson
51.
I would have liked to develop an after school program for sixth grade students. The sixth graders at Riverside Middle only have the option to play one or two sports. They don’t have any other extracurricular activities available to them. If I worked at the school for more than a few months I would implement as many clubs as possible. For example: art club, math club, step club, music club, writing club, reading club, comic strip club etc. Each club would be held one day a week each week. I saw a similar program being implemented in a Philadelphia Public School. The teachers volunteered one or two hours of their time once a week and acted as a mentor to students that joined their club. I believe a club like this would bring many different types of students together and help create diversity within unity.
I value student diversity. I try my best to make sure students understand that their culture is very important to who they are and where they will go. I try to help my students realize that stereotypes do not define who they are. I encourage students to write about their individual experiences whenever we have free writes. I have also had conversations with fellow teachers about respecting students from different backgrounds.
-Kelsey
51.
I remember learning in my assessment class strategies to ensure cultural sensitivity and social mobility sensitivity on assessments, but I think that I often forget to include doing this when creating them. I think that I could use more practice with this and that only when I force myself to be consistent will it become habitual enough that I no longer have to be conscience about it. I wonder what it says about me that I do have to force myself to be conscience about it?
-Aaron Noordhoek
52. Glenn
Glenn claims that education will always be “value-saturated” when discussing his theory for school choice policies. I couldn’t help think back to our class discussion about character education and it seemed as though Glenn isn’t too thrilled with the idea that schools can be established based on values. I thought that my belief in my values was a strength I had as a teacher. I think it is important to have manners, respect others and be caring; and, I thought as least, that this trait was something to be valued. My thinking was that if parents were unable or simply didn’t care to teach their children basic morals that are respected across all faiths and cultures, such as politeness, then I would be able to aid that student’s life by introducing them to these concepts. I think that saying “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re welcome,” to students is only modeling respectful behavior. I think it is important to talk about issues of bullying, the by stander affect and ‘doing the right thing.’ My strong-will has always protected myself and others, and sometimes it has got me in trouble. I guess my strong-willed spirit can be asset and a fault.
On the other hand, my strong will and stubbornness about values most likely will cause numerous issues with parents. I will have to re-learn the importance of closing my mouth about situations that bother me, but are not worth the fight. I will have to re-learn the importance of recognizing that the parent is the authoritative figure for the child and what they say ultimately goes. I will have to find ways to deal with my strong headedness and realize that not every problem will be solved. It is hard for me to walk away from something that is upsetting me, but I will need to recognize when situations out of my control.
--K.McCollum
52: The Challenge of Diversity and Choice
I understand the idea of having a school that matches every belief of everyone; however, I believe it is at school where students can be among and interact with a myriad of students all holding multiple beliefs. When I was in the Netherlands I got the chance to experience an incredibly diverse school that celebrated differences and combined into a single functioning school community. To make this system work choice was incorporated into nearly every school situation. As a teacher, I encourage students to make choices and to help me make choices in almost everything. I need to do more research before I come to a definitive conclusion on choice schools although I do believe that people should be able to choose whatever school they want to attend. Although I hold this belief I also think that a school centered community has irreplaceable benefits.
-ashley
52
Strengths and Weaknesses
My weakness here is the inability to understand how school of choice will further lead to racial and social class segregation as so stated on page 323. I am thinking of GRPS for my example. Currently area (along with academic performance) decide where students will attend high school. My students on the South West side will likely go to Union, a predominately Hispanic school with loads of educational and moral deficiencies. Thus, they move from poor school to poor school. However, if these students were to grow up on the east side with more affluent parents, they would go to East Grand Rapids. So how would allowing students to choose EGR over Union hurt? Other than the fact that the low performing schools will lose students. But shouldn’t they? The bill to me says No Child Left Behind, not no school left behind. If a school is failing, why pump money into it? Let those students go to the high performing schools. Thus I suppose my strength here is holding people accountable, especially schools.
-Derek Boillat
52.
I suppose both my strength and weakness with this subject would be my belief in teaching students quality values. I know it is strictly opinion on what is valued and what should not be taught in school but without the education some students would never know the common values in society. Students need to know what society values. They do not have to agree with the hierarchy of values in their society but they need the knowledge of how the general public views certain beliefs and behaviors. This knowledge could be used to blend in with society or change society for the better.
I feel one of my weaknesses for this article is the same as the previous, lack of knowledge on the subject. I need a course on different subcultures within the United States or a book with descriptions at least to start my knowledge base. As teachers, it should be required for us to learn about the different cultures our students are living in outside of school.
-Katie Reilly
52.
I don’t really feel that I have a strength or weakness in regards to school choice but I agree with Ashley on this one. I definitely believe that schools with a diverse population of students can add to the academic rigor. Simply put, if society is a melting pot so to say then schools should be as well. Students from different backgrounds can learn so much from one another but schools must be willing to work with students to help them achieve that.
-Kelsey
Strength: I am a big proponent of teaching morals and manners in schools, and the reasoning can be illustrated in the example conversation below:
Student: “I need a pencil.”
Miss McPherson: “Then are you going to ask nicely for one?”
Student: “Can I have a pencil?”
Miss McPherson: “Please?”
Student: “Please?”
Miss McPherson: “Yes, you may.”
Student: “Thanks!”
Miss McPherson: “You’re welcome.”
I have never had a student actually ask nicely for a pencil without being prompted, and getting them to say please on their own is almost like pulling teeth. Clearly these simple manners are not being taught at home, so if they aren’t taught in school, how will the students learn?
Weakness: I suppose that my prompting the students to say “please” and “thank you” could be seen as meddlesome, which would certainly be a weakness. I also am a little confused on the idea that the school of choice program might lead to racial segregation. While it may be more difficult for parents to transport their children to a school that is further away every morning, wouldn’t it be worth it if the quality of education drastically improved? Assuming that the authors meant that the majority of diverse groups are economically poor, I feel that were I to be in the situation of having to decide between having my child suffer from lack of funds and unqualified teachers, I would most likely do whatever I could to get my child out of that situation.
(Note: I am aware that not all teachers at lower-income schools are unqualified. Sorry if that offended anyone.)
- Kristy McPherson
52.
I hope that I meet the challenges that come before me and when the time comes that I dare to adhere to my calling rather than give into the powers that seek to hinder. It takes communities coming together and agreeing that the purpose of education is to shape the child as a whole. I think that today’s reform movement has become so “money-saturated” that there is little left that actually has what is best for students at heart. Teachers serve on the front lines, they are the last line of defense between students and the bureaucratic and corporate powers that seek to manipulate them. The second that the reform movement caught the eyes of those seeking profit, the movement was DOA when it comes to MEANINGFUL change. I hope that I have the courage as a teacher to fight back by whatever political and social means that I can, for the sake of my students.
-Aaron Noordhoek
53. Kauffman, McGee and Brigham
While reading the article I was able to quickly identify that I lack patience with special education students. I think part of blame falls on the special education teacher who does a poor job of communicating with teachers about students’ needs and accommodations. She often informs teachers of significant events that will impact learning after they have already had them in class. She is constantly working in ‘crisis’ mode and never does any preventative with these students. Furthermore, the qualifications for special education are too fuzzy for me. I don’t think that a student with Asperger’s should be getting the same accommodations as a student with ADHD, which is what happens at my school. Thus, when students who are defined as special education and receive an extra hour a day to get more help and complete homework come to class without anything, it is very hard for me not to be angered. I realize that the situation is somewhat out of my control and I just need to learn to stay calm and remain level-headed.
However, when I am aware of students’ disabilities or needs, I constantly address them when I am teaching. If I know a student is ADHD, I try to check in with them more throughout the class period to keep them on task. If I know a student is visual learner, I will try to incorporate visual elements into my instruction; and, if there wasn’t any visual component I attempt to meet up with them during independent work time to make sure they understood. When I administer my tests, I make sure to read the directions aloud for those who are auditory learners and I always encourage students to ask questions if they don’t understand because I can explain it in another way. I think being conscientious a strength of mine when it comes to student accommodations.
--K.McCollum
53: Enabling or Disabling? Observations on changes in special education
James M. Kauffman, Kathleen McGee, and Michele Brigham wrote, “The goal [of special education] seems to have become the appearance of normalization without the expectation of competence” (328). I rarely agree with an article as much as I agree with this one. Often in schools the appearance of inclusion and normalization takes the forefront. I believe that students should not be removed from class when they can handle the rigor of the class with minor accommodations. Some students with special needs will not get equitable treatment outside of the special education room because the resources and expertise needed are absent from the mainstream classrooms. Schools should not be a place students go to fail but, accommodations need to not be made so much so that they alter curriculum. Passing a student through without having them fulfill the class requirements (or accommodated class requirements) sets them up for failure in their future lives. Students with special needs need to be encouraged to be “responsible and independent and to set realistic expectations for themselves” (333). All students need to be expected to do all that they can; easier is not always better. The only minute point I disagree with in this article is that vocabulary on tests cannot be explained. I believe that if the vocabulary is not necessary to understanding the content or the goal of the assessment, then explaining it on a test does not hinder the student but can only help them.
As a teacher I want to push students to be their best and to be part of planning for themselves and their educational paths.
-ashley
53
Strengths
I have had a lot of work with a few students who are in a special education pull out program. I have been used as an interventionist of sorts in that I have worked with these students individually getting them caught up and making sure they understand what we expect from them and assist them to get there. I have learned and practiced not setting the bar low for these students and I will take the knowledge with me as a teacher going forward.
Weaknesses
The issue I have is that I don’t get to see a high functioning special education program. The Special Ed teacher at SWCC is one of the most confused, off kilter, disorganized professional that I have ever met. She constantly does not what is going on and wants to switch around what the students have to do in the class (setting the bar almost to the floor). My CT has candidly told me that the teachers call it, “The blind leading the blind” which is disappointing because they joke about her inability to help, but I feel horrible that these students are getting the help they need.
-Derek Boillat
53.
Strengths: One of the greatest strengths I have on the subject of special education is exposure. I have helped with my cousin, who is down syndrome, since I very little. Having her in my family, I have volunteered in her classroom, Special Olympics and her birthday parties. She is a constant reminder that students with special needs can excel in the classroom with enough support. I have acquired the patience and understanding needed to help special education students in my classroom.
Weakness: Without a strong support system with the special education teacher, I know I do not have the knowledge to modify assignments for every special education student I will have in my future classrooms.
-Katie Reilly
53.
This semester I have had quite an experience with special education students included in my mainstream classroom. I had no idea how to help them or make accommodations for them. Although there is a special education teacher in the room she mostly ran errands for my CT, made copies and kept behavioral problems in check. When I asked how I could make accommodations for students, I was told they couldn’t be helped. While I don’t think students should be excluded from homework assignments or given unnecessary time for assignments they will never complete, I certainly believe that they need help in some capacity. I feel that it is a strength of mine to reach out to every type of learner not by giving them freebees or unnecessary accommodations but by actually teaching them how to help themselves.
I am positive that it will be a weakness of mine to fail students. I want every student to succeed and know it will be hard to enter a grade in the computer that will keep a student back. I know the importance of giving passing grades to deserving work but some students try and try and cannot submit work that is adequate for their grade level. Although I would love to pass them for their effort, if they cannot complete an assignment successfully or write legibly by sixth grade shouldn’t they fail? How will they succeed in other grades?
-Kelsey
Strength: In my LANGUAGE! class, we have at least one student who attends Special Education. That class is based on leniency and accommodations, so having that experience has helped me a little in that respect.
Weakness: I have never really had much experience working with Special Needs students, and despite my LANGUAGE! class, I still feel overwhelmed when working with our Special Education students. Matt, for example, lacks the ability to create situations in his head, which makes it nearly impossible for him to summarize a reading or create sentences using vocab words without a great deal of help. I walk him through something step-by-step and he is still lost. I feel helpless when I work with him because no matter how many different ways I explain something, he still doesn’t understand.
- Kristy McPherson
53.
I think that Special Education knowledge and skills are becoming increasingly important for content area teachers. I feel that I am very aware and respond well to students needs within the classroom, but I also feel like I have a lack of training when it comes to Special Education. I hope to get a masters degree in the field of special education so that I will be better prepared to help ALL students that enter through my classroom door.
-Aaron Noordhoek
54. Villa and Thousand
Villa and Thousand discuss effective strategies for submersing special education students with the rest of the school population, also known as inclusion. I feel that my weakness is creating group activities that will actually work with the inclusion of the special education students in the class. Mainly, this is because the special education students I have in class are not very pleasant with the other students. They constantly fight and pick at each other; and, unlike their peers, the special ed students will NOT stop continuing an argument when asked politely. Thus, I struggle constructing social educational opportunities that will benefit all parties. The usual result is a breakdown of the group; but, since I love group discussion and collaboration, I have noticed how hard it is for me to find ways to include the special ed students in a productive manner.
I would have to say in terms of inclusion my strength would be perseverance. Although I know it will be a battle, I still use group work. I still expect all students to get along and productively work and learn. I still attempt to come up with ways to incorporate these specific students into the social situations and achieve positive results. My CT isn’t very supportive because she has given up on the idea of inclusion and finds it completely ineffective and unrealistic. Therefore, at times it can be difficult, but I know, for the sake of the students and the class environment, the outcome is worth the effort.
--K.McCollum
54: Making Inclusive Education Work
Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand are also authors with whom I can agree. These authors advocate for educating parents and teachers on one understanding of inclusion so that everyone can work from the same page. Further, a strength I have and am working on improving is teaching with research based educational practices. I also agree with Villa and Thousand that Para pros should not just be velcroed to specific students but should be utilized to assist with the classroom education. As a teacher now, and I am sure in the future, I use Para pros and other aids to the full extent of their immense ability. Utilizing people resources in this manner is the best practice for students. I need to work on learning how to parallel teach. I think this method of teaching would require a clearly defined concept that is being taught. The point about differentiating how curriculum is taught is a pertinent point. That way conetent is not being altered, but the individual needs of students are being taken into account.
-ashley
54
Strengths
Aaron and I currently working on a mini-lesson focused on the pros and cons of inclusion in the classroom. We have found a lot of interesting facts thus far and while working with a group member who was in special education at her high school we have received many insights into this topic. I feel that I am learning a lot within this project to make me a strong advocator for inclusion.
Weaknesses
I guess learning the difference of all the different approaches to special education. I know inclusion, and I have a grasp of exclusion, but I struggle defining what is at my school placement. We have the students in the class for roughly half the day, half the days of the week. On the other days, they are in the class the whole time. What’s really sad is that they normally are pulled out during the students’ “special” such as PE or Art. Now these students don’t get a chance to interact with the others in a variety of settings. So I need to familiarize myself with all approaches.
-Derek Boillat
54.
Strengths: As noted with the previous article, I have experience interacting with students that have special needs. Though most of my interactions have been in social settings, I believe that one of the most important parts of interacting with students, as a whole special education included, is to not speak down to the students. I have seen so many people think they are acting right by talking to special needs individuals like they are little children instead of their age. It has the same effect as when a teacher believes a student will be a trouble student. Students play the roles given to them and as teachers it is important for us not to give students negative roles in the classroom.
Weakness: I believe one of my weaknesses with inclusion education is not knowing how to implement it in my classroom. With this being the way education is going, it may be time for all teachers be certified to teach special education. One or even two special education teachers to one school is not enough to keep classrooms working to the best of their ability for special education.
-Katie Reilly
54.
I think it is a strength of mine to utilize every resource available to me. In my current classroom there is a major flaw with inclusion; the special education teacher does nothing to help students except “babysit” them. And yes, both teachers in the room tell students they shouldn’t need babysitters. If it were my own classroom, I would like to work on actually team teaching, not simply using the extra teacher or parapro in the room for an extra set of eyes.
Unlike Kylie, I think a weakness of mine is perseverance. I try my best to work with students until the understand but sometimes when I try to help a student with special needs I am not sure what to do when it seems I have tried everything and they still aren’t getting the concept. I wish I had taken a class on special education. If mainstream teachers today are having special education students in their classrooms, they need more professional development to be prepared to reach out to the differing needs of every student.
-Kelsey
Weakness: I will admit that I am prejudiced a little against inclusion by an inclusion class I had in high school that went horrible wrong. The class wasU.S.government, and the number of concessions made for the Special Education students was ridiculous. We spent three days learning how to write a three paragraph essay. As an Honor English student, I felt as though the time spent on this task was excessive and was constantly annoyed by how little the class challenged me. I understand how helpful inclusion can be to Special Education students, but I feel that what happened in my class should not happen ever. That is not inclusion, it’s making a three day concession at the cost of the rest of the class. I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I don’t want my students to feel that they aren’t being challenged or educated to the fullest extent. I would be completely for inclusion in my classroom if there was an aid present or if the students had time outside of class to learn about things the other students already grasp.
Strength: Because of my high school experience, I know how not to run an inclusion class. I have seen it in action and can say with certainty that if I ever had an inclusion class, it would be much more effective for all of my students than the one I attended.
- Kristy McPherson
55. Gurian and Stevens
Gurian and Stevens elaborate on the gender differences associated with learning. I realized that my weakness with regards to gender is most likely bias. I have noticed that I do expect and treat some boys and girls differently in my classes. In fact, the other day while teaching I noticed that I was being gender bias and I thought back to an article that I had read in my introduction to linguistic course. While learning grammar, a boy student kept shouting out the answers. Normally, this student would never talk. He despises English and can be found most days talking with the girls in the class instead of doing work. However, for some reason, grammar became incredibly interesting to him. I have speculated that this phenomenon was due to the fact it was ‘easy’ and he knew bits and pieces because a majority was review. Nevertheless, the student kept blurting out answers instead of raising his hand and I gave him reminder after reminder. Then I realized that if it was a female student, I wouldn’t have given her so many reminders. I would have given her a hallway plan if she continued the behavior. At that moment I realized I needed to pay more attention to my unconscious biases.
My strength in this is case is that I recognized my behavior and that I want it to change. After the event, I hosted a class discussion about appropriate and respectful behavior when sharing or participating in discussion. I have talked one-on-one with the boy student about his participation and other male students who seem to shout instead of letting other classmates have a chance to think about the questions. I have also tried to be more aware of how I deal with ‘chattiness’ issues in regards to gender. I am trying to make sure that I am fair when addressing issues of discipline.
--K.McCollum
55: With Boys and Girls in Mind
As a psychology minor I have studied some about how boys and girls learn differently and I respect the strategies presented in this article. I do think that I would teach in ways tailored toward ways in which both boys and girls learn but not tell the students and allow them to choose the different ways that they would like to participate in learning. That way the groups would be more fluid and allow for individual variations.
-ashley
55
Strengths
Having a minor in Psychology just like apparently Ashley :) , most of the material covered in this article in nothing new. My only worry is that if we focus too much on these differences, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Because though we may make accommodations here, we would also need to understand how a Hispanic brain functions differently than Asian brains and so on. But I think that understanding these differences and having a solid background in the Physiological Psychology of the brain will prove useful for me in the future.
Weaknesses
My issue is not letting people use this knowledge of brain differences as a “crutch”. Often, I have heard “well, girls are better at multitasking so this is easier for them.” I need to learn correct responses and activities so that no group thinks that I am discriminating against them. The goal is for everyone to succeed and not putting students in situations that give them the highest chance of doing well is simply failing them.
-Derek Boillat
55.
Strengths:I am aware of my bias. I know that I sometimes judge how well a student is going to stay on task based on gender and other attitudes I have seen them perform in my classroom. With this knowledge, I try to curve my actions so that my teaching does not reflect my initial bias between students.
Weaknesses: One personal critique is that I know I am bias when it comes to gender. I have been trying to eliminate this in my teaching as much as possible as I continue in teacher assisting. For example, I am more prone to let a group of girls read out in the hall then a group of boys. This has slightly been the reaction of having a inconvenient experience with boys getting out of hand in the hall but I am bias when trying to keep groups on task in my classroom.
-Katie Reilly
55.
I am a psychology minor as are Ashley and Derek. While my psychology minor teaches me that boys and girls brains develop very differently, I do not teach girls one way and boys another. I do not believe different sexes can be lumped into educational categories just because their brains may develop in similar ways. I try to treat every single student as a unique individual instead of classifying him or her into one of two learning camps, male vs. female.
-Kelsey
Weakness: I am not a psychology minor. I took PSY 101 and Child Development and that’s about it. I want to become more knowledgeable as to how boys learn differently than girls, but I also want to learn how to not make it apparent that I’m using different techniques based on gender. I’d like to come up with a way to implement multiple methods to reach all of the students regardless of gender.
Strength: I’m very eager to learn about child psychology. If fact, I’m considering getting my masters degree in Child Psychology and Counseling, so I don’t feel as though I lack the motivation to learn more about the different learning methods.
- Kristy McPherson